At this year’s HEC Academy graduation in June, guests were treated to a striking piece of art on the graduation program cover. Entitled Social Justice and Identity, and the culmination of a year’s work, the mural represented a project that the HEC Academy community of student artists are very proud of. Adid Roman is... [Read More]

At this year’s HEC Academy graduation in June, guests were treated to a striking piece of art on the graduation program cover. Entitled Social Justice and Identity, and the culmination of a year’s work, the mural represented a project that the HEC Academy community of student artists are very proud of.

Adid Roman is the school’s Art Therapist. HEC Academy is a public day special education program in Northampton, supporting local districts and students with a small school learning environment for high school aged students with learning disabilities, and/or social, emotional, or behavioral challenges. Roman said that the student mural was planned, envisioned and painted over the course of the 2017-2018 school year. Beginning as an idea to creatively use and fill a plain white wall as their canvas, students engaged, connected, discussed and came together to share what they felt was important to them. The mural design encouraged thoughtful discussion, new skills, and teamwork. Those that were part of the initial planning made it theirs, and additional students climbed on board as the project moved forward.

Roman, in his first year as an Art Therapist at HEC Academy, is understandably proud of the results, but more so of the students who worked on the mural, beginning with the concept that “we are all one” – that gender and race do not matter. “Art is an outlet,” he says, “and for students, also a way to become comfortable communicating their ideas and also their concerns.” The students wanted to be heard and shared initial ideas. Discussion about what form the mural would take took several months. Adid helped move the ideas to a formal plan for the mural. Important student input included the design for the face and the signature area.

Roman set clear expectations at the beginning of the year for student involvement on the project. Students painted in small groups, with one actually painting at a time. Holding a brush did many things for the students – it gave them a feeling of empowerment, but they also felt calmer and more relaxed. Roman said that they were also transformed in different ways. One student, on the spectrum, brought out of his usual comfort zone by the project, soon flourished – and was quickly providing suggestions, ideas, perspectives, criticisms, and took ownership of his share of the project. He became one of Roman’s project anchors throughout the year.

Being involved in the mural work provided students with an additional outlet for learning concentration skills, and working as a team. Most students had never touched a paintbrush before but quickly developed their own styles. They responded to the art therapy in a wonderful way, becoming more comfortable with their art, but also becoming more comfortable with sharing their thoughts, feelings, emotions, and their struggles with Roman. “This is where art therapy comes to life!” said Roman.

Roman was drawing by age 3, and taking drawing classes before he turned 5. Art has always been deeply important to him. He received a scholarship to art school by age 6, and knew art would always be part of his life. Roman received a Master’s in Art Therapy from Springfield College and joined HEC Academy in the fall of 2017. “I’m here for the long haul,” says Roman, who is already sowing the seeds for the 2018-2019 mural with a new blank canvas to be prepared for students by September.

Barbara Cheney, Lead Teacher at Mount Tom Academy, smiles as she thinks about last June’s graduation ceremonies for Mount Tom students, where seven seniors received certificates from Mount Tom to accompany diplomas from their sending schools. Prior to the ceremony, graduating students presented their capstone projects, and the memory of these presentations sparked conversation about... [Read More]

Barbara Cheney, Lead Teacher at Mount Tom Academy, smiles as she thinks about last June’s graduation ceremonies for Mount Tom students, where seven seniors received certificates from Mount Tom to accompany diplomas from their sending schools. Prior to the ceremony, graduating students presented their capstone projects, and the memory of these presentations sparked conversation about the responsiveness of all her students to the structure and guidelines of Summit Learning, a nationwide program that she has incorporated into her work with Mount Tom students for over three years. Her results have been so successful, that this Spring Cheney was named a Summit Learning Fellow.

Summit Learning is a national network of public schools. The program itself operates 11 public schools (The Summit Schools) in California and Washington. The Summit Learning approach also “forms the foundation” for the learning process at over 300 Summit Learning schools across the United States.

As a Fellow, Cheney will train, support and guide new Summit Learning educators in Massachusetts and beyond. Cheney uses the pillars of Summit Learning in her classroom every day. Incorporating personalized learning with her students, providing ongoing one-on-one mentoring, and using relevant project work provides Cheney with the strong platform to springboard each of her students to success. Cheney’s use of these principles has been so successful with Mount Tom students, that Summit Learning recently made Mount Tom Academy one of only 30 innovation schools out of 300 participating schools in the US. “Summit allows Mount Tom to be part of a much bigger national community, ” says Cheney.

Connecting “instantly” with the theory and practice behind Summit Learning, many principles were instinctive to her. They helped her encourage academic and social success within her student community. Now in 2018, the results of Barbara’s work could be seen in the Capstone projects that were presented at graduation. Two students, Sean and Anthony, stood at the front of the graduation gathering, and spoke together about the t-shirt business that they had started during the year. Very different in speaking styles and approaches, but wonderful as a team, each took turns speaking about starting their business selling used/vintage t-shirts, the good experiences, and the unexpected bumps in the road. They made the audience laugh in an easy manner, and were clearly comfortable working together. They also brought some of their clothing to sell to graduation attendees. Another student, Tattie, at the end of her capstone said, “There is always more out there than what you know, There are always different ways of doing something, What is most important is that you do things that interest you.”

“Summit Learning allows me to meet my students where they are, while engaging them in the creation of a pathway for academic and personal success,” says Cheney. And now, as a Fellow, Cheney mentors other teachers using Summit Learning, acts as a resource, and helps them engage their students as she has successfully for over three years at Mount Tom. She also helps build a stronger educational community in support of students.

NORTHAMPTON – The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) hosted nine state legislators and aides, and twenty School Superintendents from Franklin and Hampshire counties on Friday morning, February 15th at their offices at 97 Hawley Street in Northampton. Challenges Facing Education in Our Region provided the group an opportunity to discuss concerns, ideas and solutions about... [Read More]

NORTHAMPTON – The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) hosted nine state legislators and aides, and twenty School Superintendents from Franklin and Hampshire counties on Friday morning, February 15th at their offices at 97 Hawley Street in Northampton. Challenges Facing Education in Our Region provided the group an opportunity to discuss concerns, ideas and solutions about issues relating to funding education in the region’s small and rural public school districts.

Speakers William Diehl, Executive Director, CES; Michael Morris, Superintendent of Amherst-Pelham Regional Public Schools; Michael Buoniconti, Superintendent of Mohawk Trail Regional School District; and John Provost, Superintendent, Northampton Public School; introduced critical topics, and provided research for small group discussions.

The focus during the morning included the challenges for towns in supporting educational costs, Foundation Budget changes, inadequate coverage of increasing education cost areas like transportation and special education, and relief for small and rural schools. Legislators shared their work on new and proposed legislation focusing on these issues of education funding at the state level.

William Diehl, Executive Director of CES, noted, “This gathering is a unique opportunity for the region’s superintendents to connect with legislators as a group and share the complex concerns that western Massachusetts K-12 districts face with school financing. Our district leaders meet and work together frequently to surface and identify both the amazing accomplishments of our districts as well as the very critical educational and funding challenges we face. We are excited to tackle these challenges and generate solutions together and this will be a great step in doing so.”

Thirty area high school students found spring and summer employment through a newly opened summer internship program this past year. Developed by CES’s Matt Rigney, Alternative Youth Programs Director, and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is supported in part by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Summer High School Internship... [Read More]

Thirty area high school students found spring and summer employment through a newly opened summer internship program this past year. Developed by CES’s Matt Rigney, Alternative Youth Programs Director, and funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and is supported in part by the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center Summer High School Internship Challenge, the STEM@Work internships provide these students from ten area high schools valuable experience at a time when they can most use it. The program has been deemed a success by students and their employers for the 2017/18 year, and expanded opportunities for students are underway for 2018/19.

The application process outlined criteria and expectations for the students and encouraged them to ask questions prior to placement. Looking for commitment on the part of the students, Rigney noted: “I couldn’t be more proud of them.” With thirty students placed for the summer of 2018, setting up the program for its first-year run was a positive and smooth process. “Everyone has worked together to make this a success – from employers to student employees.”

“I thought selling this to employers would be a lot more difficult,” said Rigney, “but now that it’s in place, I am overwhelmed by how well it has gone.” Rigney noted that there were 18 placements at the University of Massachusetts laboratories alone in fields like polymer science, physics, and microbiology as well as 12 other placements at other companies throughout the Pioneer Valley. “Students are receiving truly valuable experience in these positions,” says Rigney.

Jonathan Buell said that “the Collaborative STEM internship program was a gleaming success” for Wright Architectural Millwork of Northampton. “In an age where less and less young adults are looking to get into the trades, Matt furnished a remarkable young man that we had the privilege to teach our craft to.” Plans have been made by Wright to hire their intern as a co-op student for the student’s senior year. “The Collaborative internship program has created a vehicle to connect unanticipated talent with willing employers in a way that I have not witnessed before” said Buell.

“We hope to increase the internship slots to fifty next summer,” says Rigney, who has already heard from potential employers. Expecting that 60-70% of the students will be new to the program, the experience opens up opportunities for solid work experience to add to each student’s resume.

TURNERS FALLS — Besides the plan to hold upcoming forums, Superintendent Michael Sullivan said Gill-Montague district schools are addressing civil rights harassment violations by implementing several improvements, including teaching divserity and inclusion, same-day communication with parents or guardians and using restorative practices to rebuild community.

Administrative staff provided an update regarding its response to civil rights violations during a recent School Committee meeting, where Sullivan presented a memo he wrote, as well as the secondary school, to the board announcing forums, providing information for people who wish to submit a complaint and identifying areas where the secondary school needs improvements. This has come about as part of the administration’s response to recent complaints about racial incidents.

Sullivan said in a broader context, addressing the civil rights violations at the secondary school is another complex issue.

“Examining the causes of this situation has lead to an awareness of an unhealthy school climate at the secondary level. It’s like an onion, there’s layers to this work, and the more we peel away, the more we see there’s a lot to be done,” Sullivan said. “It’s serious work. It includes responding to incidents of civil rights harassment, consistent use of an agreed-upon approach to responding to disciplinary offenses …, teaching for diversity, equity and social justice — I’ve been talking to lots of different providers about who might help us build on work we’ve already been doing.”

NORTHAMPTON — A new program will provide nearly $3 million to organizations focused on improving the health of individuals, families and communities by addressing issues such as nutrition, safe housing, violence prevention, and substance abuse, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Tuesday. The Collaborative for Educational Services, working together with 10 other partner organizations, including the... [Read More]

NORTHAMPTON — A new program will provide nearly $3 million to organizations focused on improving the health of individuals, families and communities by addressing issues such as nutrition, safe housing, violence prevention, and substance abuse, Attorney General Maura Healey announced Tuesday.

The Collaborative for Educational Services, working together with 10 other partner organizations, including the Hilltown Community Health Center, Hilltown Community Development Corp. and the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, will receive $149,818 annually for two years through the “Social Determinants Partnership Program.”

That funding will help the partnership address inequities in the food system, specifically in the Hilltowns, by designing and implementing a distribution system that connects underserved community members to healthy, affordable produce.

“We are trying to address a long-standing issue around transportation and food distribution in the Hilltowns,” said Sarah Bankert, program manager of Healthy Hampshire at the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton.

Bankert said residents in the hilltowns who are low-income, elderly or disabled often have limited or no access to fresh, healthy foods.

She noted that while things like farmers markets work in more urban and suburban areas, they may not be as useful in areas that lack larger populations with easy access to transportation.

“We are trying to work on this at the systems level and that requires having different partners working together,” Bankert said.

TURNERS FALLS – The Gill-Montague School District has the right policies and procedures in place concerning civil rights violations in its secondary schools, although in some instances staff haven’t followed them when they are stretched thin, Superintendent Michael Sullivan told the school committee Tuesday night. His analysis and a conversation about it with the committee... [Read More]

TURNERS FALLS – The Gill-Montague School District has the right policies and procedures in place concerning civil rights violations in its secondary schools, although in some instances staff haven’t followed them when they are stretched thin, Superintendent Michael Sullivan told the school committee Tuesday night.

His analysis and a conversation about it with the committee follows reports in December of several civil rights related incidents in the schools.

Sullivan conceded the schools could do better at policing racially related harassment and other civil rights violations, and suggested hiring a second dean of students to help with discipline at the Turners Falls High School and Great Falls Middle School.

As part of the administration’s response to recent complaints about racial incidents, a series of forums for students, staff and parents are being scheduled. The first is to be held on Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Turners Falls High School. Sullivan said faculty and staff will not attend. The forum will be facilitated by Safire DeJong and Keisha Green of the Collaborative for Educational Services.

NORTHAMPTON — Over the last decade, middle and high school students have been smoking cigarettes less — rates have dropped significantly since 2011. The bad news is that a new vice is on the rise with young people: Juuling. If you don’t know what that is, you’re not alone. Juul is a brand of e-cigarette that vaporizes a... [Read More]

NORTHAMPTON — Over the last decade, middle and high school students have been smoking cigarettes less — rates have dropped significantly since 2011. The bad news is that a new vice is on the rise with young people: Juuling.

If you don’t know what that is, you’re not alone. Juul is a brand of e-cigarette that vaporizes a liquid containing nicotine. It looks more like a thumb drive than a cigarette, doesn’t create a lot of vapor and is more likely to smell fruity than smoky, making it easy to conceal — even in a school. Juuling is also known as vaping.

“I know a lot of kids who Juul, almost half the kids I know,” said Bryden Ventola, a Northampton High School freshman who said he doesn’t Juul.

Max Shannon, a teenager from Amherst, estimates the number of high school-aged youth Juuling at around 50 percent. “I don’t know many people who don’t have a Juul,” he said. Shannon and his two friends, Northampton High School students Jestina Jones and Lucia Lomax, all say that people their age are addicted to Juuling, though none of them said they do it.

“I would say it’s an epidemic,” Shannon added.

The FDA agrees with him. This fall, the agency said that teenage electronic cigarette use has reached “an epidemic proportion.”

Statistics from a bi-annual survey of thousands of students were discussed Friday at a presentation mostly to educators in area schools, as part of a vaping prevention workshop in Northampton sponsored by the Collaborative for Educational Services and the Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth. The survey found that 45 percent of 952 participating 12th-graders in Hampshire County said they had tried an electronic cigarette at least once. Just over 21 percent said they had used it in the last 30 days.

Northampton, MA – Over 40 representatives from a diverse array of Healthy Hampshire community health projects to promote healthy food and active lifestyles assembled at the Collaborative for Educational Services on a recent sunny afternoon in October, to celebrate their work and look forward to the next phase. Participants included Public Health, Planning and Council... [Read More]

Northampton, MA – Over 40 representatives from a diverse array of Healthy Hampshire community health projects to promote healthy food and active lifestyles assembled at the Collaborative for Educational Services on a recent sunny afternoon in October, to celebrate their work and look forward to the next phase.

Participants included Public Health, Planning and Council on Aging municipal representatives from across Hampshire County and the Hilltowns; volunteers and community leaders; funders; and project representatives from organizations that included the Hampshire Regional YMCA, CISA, Grow Food Northampton, PVGrows Investment Fund, Amherst Survival Center, Highlands Footpath, Cooley Dickinson Health Care, Hilltown Community Health Center, Hilltown Community Development Corporation, Quaboag Valley CDC, and Amherst Co-Op, among others.

Healthy Hampshire is a collaboration between municipal leaders, elected officials, public health departments, planners, businesses, community organizations, and residents.. It is part of the Mass in Motion statewide initiative through the Department of Public Health and is administered by the City of Northampton in partnership with Community Health Solutions, a program of the Collaborative for Educational Services.The mission of Healthy Hampshire is to reduce rates of chronic disease in its partner communities by effecting changes to policies and systems that encourage physical activity, healthy food access, improved patient care, and linkages between healthcare systems and community-level prevention activities.

Said Sarah Bankert, MPH, Community Prevention Specialist and Healthy Hampshire Program Manager for CES, “We are coming together to celebrate and mark the progress we have made in the last several years. There is a lot of good work going on, made possible through numerous collaborations with people passionate to make their community a place where good health can thrive. Sometimes we are too busy doing the work to remember to pause and look up– to celebrate our successes, renew our connection to one another and to see what’s coming on the horizon.”

Opening remarks were made by Ben Wood, Director of the Office of Community Health Planning and Engagement at the MA Department of Public Health. Participants at the event shared stories about some of the projects that have been the focus of Healthy Hampshire collaborations, including the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP), the Northampton Built Environment, the Diabetes Prevention Program in the Hilltowns, Complete Streets in Goshen, and the Mobile Farmers Market in Northampton. These projects and more have engaged and involved community members, funders, and project managers experienced in moving public health projects forward. Following the presentations, participants spent time reflecting on their experiences, and discussing next steps, community needs, and priorities for new projects that will continue the work to foster a culture of health in our local communities.

One participant noted about the work with Healthy Hampshire that the partnership excels at facilitating collaboration, and engaging the community members with respect, and all were excited and enthusiastic about the new projects ahead. Said one attendee, “Before you bring people together, they see problems, not solutions – but when you bring them together, they start to see solutions.”

]]>Northampton, MA — The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES) Healthy Families and Communities department has received federal funding for a three year project that will provide Youth Mental Health First Aid training to educators, administrators and parents across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) will fund the project as part of their Mental Health Awareness Training Grants. The project will utilize the internationally recognized and evidence-based Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) program model, which is managed by the National Council for Behavioral Health. Participants will be trained to be more effective at recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental health disorders in youth aged 12-18, and appropriately refer those who would benefit from behavioral support services.

CES will train education staff of at-risk adolescent students within the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS) programs. Adolescents entering the MA DYS juvenile justice system often come with significant and complicated trauma histories. Exposure to violence can lead to distrust, hypervigilance, impulsive behavior, isolation, addiction, lack of empathy, and self-protective aggression.

CES will also be training more than 500 teachers and administrators who work with high needs and/or at-risk students in public schools in rural Western Massachusetts. In addition, CES will work with organizations that support military families to offer YMHFA to parents and guardians of youth in military families. These youth and their families often experience the stress of separation for military deployments and other duties.

Adolescents are often dependent on adults for recognition of mental health problems, provision of support, and referrals for help. According to CES’s 2017 Prevention Needs Assessment Survey (PNAS), administered to 8th, 10th and 12th graders in public schools in Hampshire County, 35% of 8th graders and 43% of 10th graders report depressive symptoms, and 28% of 10th graders and 49% of 12th graders report drinking alcohol in the past 30 days. 32% of 8th graders and 40% of 12th graders surveyed are considered high risk. Local behavioral health providers, including Clinical Support Options and ServiceNet, will assist with accepting referrals of youth with signs and symptoms of mental illness. The MA DYS will also work with CES on referrals through their extensive network of contracted clinicians/behavioral health providers across the state. Hampshire Veterans’ Services Department will partner with the project to help support the YMHFA trainings through the Family Readiness Groups at Westover Air Reserve Base and Barnes Air National Guard Base, and also through the Western MA Veterans Service Officers Association.

As part of the three-year project, CES will distribute over 1,500 copies of a comprehensive resource and referral guide of communi.ty services to the YMHFA trainees and partner agencies, including information to meet the specialized needs of the trainees and the service areas in which they work.